19 Jul 2024: SHEAFFER LEROY B KITFOX MODEL IV

19 Jul 2024: SHEAFFER LEROY B KITFOX MODEL IV (N788KF) — Unknown operator

1 fatality • Palmyra, PA, United States

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the tailwheel airplane during takeoff from a narrow runway with a crosswind, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with terrain.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On July 19, 2024, about 1430 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Kitfox Model IV, N788KF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Palmyra, Pennsylvania. The pilot incurred minor injuries, and the pilot-rated passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot was taking off from runway 31, a 40-ft-wide asphalt runway. He reported that just as he lifted the tailwheel off the ground the airplane immediately turned hard left and departed the side of the runway. The airplane bounced hard and fractured the right main landing gear before coming to rest upright in a corn field. The pilot stated that there was a right crosswind at the time of departure, and the passenger had commented that the right wing lifted as soon as the tailwheel came off the ground. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and left wing. Flight control continuity was established to all flight controls. The right main landing gear was fractured off the strut and the brake line was severed. The left main landing gear was intact. Both wheels spun freely, and the brakes were not seized up. The inspector reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions.

Contributing factors

  • Pilot
  • Directional control — Not attained/maintained

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 260/07kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.